Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Weston
I joined Bridges on the underwater bench that circled the hot tub, the small of my back against a damn powerful jet that was soothing aches and pains I had yet to acknowledge.
I truly appreciated that Bridges secured a stay in the two-and-a-half-star hotel so I could recover. I couldn’t lie and say the ride was easy.
The small hotel was clean. After riding on a slender-seated bike for about ten hours, it was a luxury I truly appreciated.
“Add the room to the tab of things I owe you, Bridges. I don’t want you paying for stuff on these practice rides. And the gas for the RV. And the campsite we were at last night. I should have thought ahead to secure reservations myself. I’m sorry I didn’t.”
I felt like a failure—or at least an idiot—for not thinking about reservations and food. “And breakfast at Bonnie’s Biscuits this morning. Add that to my tab as well.”
Bridges chuckled. “Relax, West. I’m having Alexis order us jerseys with Eaton Cycles on the chests.
Like I said, I’m going to sponsor your ride, and I’ll donate to your charity.
Also, I’ll ask Alexis to come with us on the cross-country ride.
She can drive the RV, while I ride with you.
On a ride that long, I don’t like the idea of you riding alone on some of the trails where the SAG car can’t follow behind.
” Bridges said it as though it was gospel.
To say I was shocked was mild. “You don’t have to do that, Bridges. I can do it by myself, I swear. I’ll pay you back for everything, but you don’t have to get Alexis to come with us. You don’t have to do any of that.”
Did Bridges not have faith in me? If so, I’d prove him wrong or die trying. I could do something selfless.
“I want to support you, Weston. Look, it’s great advertising for the Eaton Cycles brand.
I can get Alexis to set up a few photo ops for us along the way to promote your ride and get some free advertising for my company.
It’ll be a win-win for both of us. You’ll be able to use my sponsorship to pitch to other possible donors that you’ll solicit for support.
I promise you any business worth its salt will be grateful to have their patch on your jersey to show the world that they support your cause.
That type of promotion pays for itself ten times over.
“If we can drum up media interest in the cities we pass through, it’ll be great and bring in donations to your chosen charity. You should reach out to the charity to get input from their marketing team.”
Bridges pushed his wet hands through his hair to get it off his forehead. It was short with salt and pepper woven into it, and sexy as hell. His short beard was mostly grey, but it fit his face better than any alternative. How his ex-husband could cheat on him was a fucking mystery to me.
“I can’t let you do that, Bridges. Alexis won’t want to take that much time away from your joint project to babysit me on this ride, and I’m not sure how I’d ever pay her for her time.” God, that was no joke.
I had no idea how much Bridges paid her for her work, but I wouldn’t be able to come close to matching it for at least a year, and that was only if I succeeded on the ride and took over Aames Investments.
I still had to convince CJ, Claudia, Uncle Edmond, and Daryl—Bridges’ father—that I was worthy of taking over Aames Investments before I could touch my trust fund. It was a tall order for a job I didn’t even want.
Bridges chuckled. “Hey, just so you know, I’ll do what I choose.
That was one thing your dad and I had friction over.
He thought he could tell me what to do, but nine times out of ten, I disagreed with him because we had different opinions on things that mattered.
We nearly always agreed to disagree, though it was always respectful.
When I agreed with him, I didn’t do it because he said so.
I’m going to do what I want to do, West. The sooner you figure that out, the better for both of us. ”
Hearing what he said was forceful, surprising, and fucking hot. My crush from when I was young was flaming hotter than a bonfire. Was there a possibility I had a chance with the man?
Day two of our trip had me riding the Hudson Valley Greenway Trail. Bridges wasn’t able to follow me, but he gave me a small cordless device to charge my phone while I was riding. It had a long life so we could talk about lots of inconsequential things without my phone dying.
When we stopped at an upscale campground just off the trail, I was happy to see Bridges again. Talking to him was great but seeing him was much better.
Bridges’ voice accompanied me the whole nine-hour ride.
Never faltering and never boring. I found talking to him about things I hoped to accomplish in the future and silly things I wondered about made me happy as a fucking clam.
He had stories about other races he’d ridden in or helped another rider who was participating, which was extremely interesting.
I learned that there were things, unexpected things, that I’d need to look out for.
Snakes. Rocks on the trails. Animals. Humans.
For a cyclist, any of those things could unseat me from my saddle, and as fast as I needed to ride, it could cause an injury that might not allow me to do another ride in the future.
“I broke my arm once when I had a spill over the front of my bike. It pissed me off because it was not more than a mile from the end of a racecourse at the Paris-Roubaix. The race was only one damn day, and I had a wreck that took me out of that competition and three more that spring.”
How could I not chuckle. “What caused the wreck?”
“A fucking dog. The men’s race starts in Compiègne and finishes at the Roubaix Velodrome.
It’s about two hundred, fifty-eight kilometers with cobblestones along the way.
I was rounding a corner toward the end, and a black and tan mutt came out of nowhere.
I slammed on the brakes and went over the front, breaking my arm.
It was humbling.” Bridges gave a low chuckle at the end.
“Any permanent damage?” I pedaled faster because I wanted to get to our next stop to see him.
“No, well, a little stiffness when there’s rain coming in. Fuck, now I sound like an old man complaining about my ailments,” Bridges said.
I laughed. “Sexiest old man I’ve ever seen.”
“You’re full of shit, Weston.”
“Not after that last stop.”
We both laughed. I was finding Bridges Eaton to be the most entertaining man I’d ever met. What I wouldn’t give to spend time with him when I wasn’t on a bike.
We met at a campground just outside of the final loop. It was accessible from the trail, and Bridges had already established our camp when I arrived. I hopped off the other bike I was testing for Bridges and pushed it toward the black and gray RV parked three slots into the campground.
I stopped at the side of the camper and leaned the second prototype bicycle against the side of the RV, taking off my shoes and picking them up. There was a campfire burning in a circle of bricks not far from the door.
Knocking on the door before I went inside seemed like a smart idea. I didn’t have the slightest idea whether Bridges had a gun for protection.
“Come in, West.”
I opened the door and stepped inside.
“Glad you’re here.” Bridges stood at the counter mixing something.
When he turned toward me, he grinned. “You hungry? I have salad and steak. I’m just making the dressing. You might as well get cleaned up. I’ll have dinner ready when you finish.”
My duffel was sitting on the floor next to the back bedroom, so I grabbed it to go clean up. Once I had a quick shower to wash away the grime, I pulled on shorts and a T-shirt. I cleaned up my mess and stepped out of the bathroom, dropping my bag beside the bedroom door.
Bridges grabbed the steaks to carry out to the fire he’d stoked in the pit outside the RV. “Come keep me company while I cook these. How’s your ass?”
“You tell me.” I turned to show him my ass, nearly pulling down my shorts to tease him.
The handsome man laughed. “Looks good from here. Let’s go.”
Bridges made us two of the most delicious steaks I’d ever tasted. The salad was amazing with the tang of a lemon vinaigrette dressing, and when it hit my tongue, I closed my eyes. “This is the best thing I’ve ever eaten.”
His smile at my compliment was everything I needed to see. “You are a man of many talents, Bridges Eaton.”
“You have no idea the extent of my talents, Weston Aames.”
I took his words to heart and hoped he’d show me some of his talents very soon.
After we finished our meal, I carried our dishes into the RV to clean them up because he’d cooked. When Bridges came in with the rest, he stood close behind me. “You don’t have to clean up.”
I spun in front of him, feeling the heat from his body creeping up my back. My cock sprung to life in an instant. I’d been attracted to many men in my life, but never anything like the attraction I felt for Bridges.
My father would have been pissed, I was sure, but I wasn’t ashamed of how I felt about the man. He was trying to help me reach my goal, and there was no way I’d ever let him down.
I had to live up to Bridges’ standards if I ever wanted to gain his attention, and I wouldn’t fail. My goal was clear. Win Bridges’ heart at all costs.